Social Media Trends

I’ve discovered a trend in my blog. The bands who are the most active on social media are the ones I noticed most.

Plain White T’s, Linkin Park, and 30 Seconds to Mars have been the primary subjects there. One, because I really enjoy them. Two, because they have this social media thing down. Frequent posts in multiple venues (twitter, Facebook, band websites, blogging) and high-quality content.

I wish more bands would follow their examples. Switchfoot has performed on a couple of talk shows lately, and I had no idea! Not because they didn’t post it, but because they don’t post frequently enough to have an existing social media presence. Without that regularly maintained presence, fans quickly breeze by what little information they do offer. Which is sad – I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Switchfoot since Learning to Breathe.

On the other hand, Adam Duritz of Counting Crows is the MOST BORING TWEETER EVER. He posts all the time, but the content of his tweets are just irritating. Pointless. He doesn’t have a clear sense of his audience and therefore doesn’t offer information relevant to them. Mostly he’s tweeting for himself, sharing his own thoughts and allowing everyone else to catch a glimpse. As for me, he can keep that view of his brain. I’ll just keep listening to his music and call it good.

And I’ll even say, Linkin Park could probably kick it up a notch, too. Plain White T’s and 30 Seconds to Mars have raised the bar. PWTs have chatted live with fans regularly for a couple of months now. 30 Seconds to Mars has requested that fans get involved in the creation of their videos and albums. Media is getting more accessible and more interactive with the burgeoning of social media – let’s get on the ball, people. Ride the wave.